1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to apparatus for injecting a chemical solution into a plurality of holes which have been drilled into the trunk of a tree. More particularly, the invention relates to a portable hydraulic injection unit which may be mounted on a wheeled dolly for easy transportion. The injection unit includes a nonpressurized reservoir carrying the liquid to be injected into the trees and a plurality of individual cylinders for supplying individual hoses which are connected to the individual cylinders. Each hose has an injector at its free end which is inserted into a hole in the trunk of the tree which is to be treated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is often desirable to inject a tree with appropriate liquid chemical solutions to supply nutrients to the tree or to treat the tree for fungus or for pests. Recently, trees have also been treated with a liquid chemical solution to inhibit the growth of the tree so that the frequency of pruning is decreased. It is presently necessary to prune excess growth from trees approximately every three years or the new growth interferes with power lines. When a growth inhibitor is injected into a tree immediately after pruning, the growth of the tree is inhibited to an extent that it is not necessary to prune the tree for one or more additional years. Such results in a considerable savings to power companies owning power lines passing through the trees treated with a growth inhibitor.
Examples of apparatus for injecting a liquid into trees will be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,176,495; 4,112,617; 4,011,685 and 3,992,813. The apparatus disclosed in the first mentioned patent is a combined drilling and injecting apparatus and is mounted on a mobile unit having a hydraulically operated boom. This type of apparatus is impractical for many applications since the trees to be treated must be located adjacent to a roadway or in an area which is accessible to a vehicle. The apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,813 is pressurized and requires a plurality of tanks which are not easy to manually transport to the site of the trees to be treated. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,112,617 and 4,011,685 are directed to hand held needle injectors which permit injection of one hole at a time and have a relatively small capacity. Additionally, the devices disclosed in all of the above patents with the exception of U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,685 require a source of pressurized gas to force the liquid into the trunk of the tree being treated, and such is impractical as it requires manually transporting a pressurized gas tank to the site of the trees to be treated.